Little things that make your life great
David from Oxford said:Cutting my work miles has made such a difference to my day. I work for a PR company - a role usually associated with sitting in a hectic office, hardly stopping for lunch. It took a bit of plannin...
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David from Oxford said:Cutting my work miles has made such a difference to my day. I work for a PR company - a role usually associated with sitting in a hectic office, hardly stopping for lunch. It took a bit of planning and good reasoning to persuade my boss to let me try reducing my work miles but after a trial run, it proved to be a really successful way to work. Instead of sitting in traffic, polluting the roads and wasting around an hour every morning and evening, I now work from home two or three days a week. I can get up and make coffee, water the plants, go for a run and still be at my desk before everyone else. I get much more done without the disturbances of an open plan office and I have time to go to the gym after work too. It also makes me really value the time that I actually spend in the office.
Hannah from Sheffield said:I've started growing my own food, since being inspired by a book written by Paul Waddington. He said, "If you have space for just a window box, 21st Century Smallholder is for you". I starte...
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Hannah from Sheffield said:I've started growing my own food, since being inspired by a book written by Paul Waddington. He said, "If you have space for just a window box, 21st Century Smallholder is for you". I started small, growing some fresh herbs on my window sill in different vintage pots that I found at the fleamarket. It was fun just seeing which unusual containers I could give a new lease of life to - I've got a mixture of old china sugar bowls, pretty jam jars and coffee tins. Then I decided I'd dedicate a little corner of my garden just to vegetables and it's great knowing that my greens are as fresh as can be and have no food miles attached! I tend to plant haphazardly and experiment to see what will come up where. I'd love an allotment - I hear they're the new rock 'n' roll (!) but there's a bit of a waiting list. At the moment, I'm happy just pottering in my garden.
Clare from Norfolk said:I've found a great use for old t-shirts - make them into funky shopping bags! Just tie the sleeves together to make the handle then stitch along the bottom a couple of times so it's nice and strong. E...
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Clare from Norfolk said:I've found a great use for old t-shirts - make them into funky shopping bags! Just tie the sleeves together to make the handle then stitch along the bottom a couple of times so it's nice and strong. Easy, original and free!
Elizabeth from Norwich said:I'm really into the idea of 'liberating' books! You leave a book for someone else to find and the idea is that when they've finished, they'll do the same for someone else. I started doing it myself by...
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Elizabeth from Norwich said:I'm really into the idea of 'liberating' books! You leave a book for someone else to find and the idea is that when they've finished, they'll do the same for someone else. I started doing it myself by leaving them on the train, after I once found a paperback on a long journey. I like the idea of not knowing who will pick them up but there are websites that make it easier to hunt for left books and if you register books with a number you can track to see where they've been! It's much more fun than leaving them on my shelves to get dusty. You can read more about it at www.bookcrossing.com or www.readitswapit.co.uk.
Ian from Bournemouth said:I've joined Freecycle. It's a brilliant initiative - a non-profit group of people who give away stuff for free in their own towns and you can get free stuff back again. It's completely free to joi...
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Ian from Bournemouth said:I've joined Freecycle. It's a brilliant initiative - a non-profit group of people who give away stuff for free in their own towns and you can get free stuff back again. It's completely free to join and each local group is moderated by a volunteer so it's a real grass roots operation. It's an easy and green way to get rid of stuff you don't want (the website says that 'we are keeping approximately 50 tons a day out of landfills') and what one person considers unwanted junk is someone else's treasure! I think it also helps foster a bit of the old community spirit too and that's got to be a good thing, hasn't it? To find out more, check out www.freecycle.org.
Jo from Fulham said:I've been really motivated recently by the idea of 'green exercise'. I like to keep fit but I find those huge gyms so impersonal - and not only that, the membership fees are pretty high in London,...
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Jo from Fulham said:I've been really motivated recently by the idea of 'green exercise'. I like to keep fit but I find those huge gyms so impersonal - and not only that, the membership fees are pretty high in London, too. After reading an article about keeping fit in the fresh air I thought I'd give it a go and I'm really pleased I bothered. I've started walking more and I cycle to work when I'm feeling super-fit. I've already started noticing new things about the area I live in and it puts me in touch with it to see how it changes everyday. It's so much more interesting than pounding away on the treadmill. I've also volunteered to join one of those 'green gyms' doing conservation work - I got in touch with a local group through the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (www.2.btcv.org.uk). It's a good way to meet some new people and you don't half burn calories easily while you're digging!
Sue from Leeds said:Adopting my dog Barney from the local animal home was the best thing I've ever done. My work had been getting me down and I'd been stressed. I started visiting the rescue centre as a volunteer dog wal...
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Sue from Leeds said:Adopting my dog Barney from the local animal home was the best thing I've ever done. My work had been getting me down and I'd been stressed. I started visiting the rescue centre as a volunteer dog walker at weekends and found that the fresh air and time alone with the dogs really helped clear my mind. Then one day I noticed a little floppy-eared terrier, who'd recently been brought in to the home, and asked to take him out on the lead. We got on famously and of course that was that. I work freelance now so I can be around more for Barney and I've felt more relaxed and happy since having him by my side. He's just such good therapy. It's nice knowing that I've given him a home away from his old troubles and I think he's making the most of his new life too - he certainly seems to enjoy having a sofa to sleep on!
Jacqui from Derby said:I've always enjoyed making things - I'm a bit of a 'Blue Peter' kid at heart. I started signing up for evening classes a couple of years ago at the local college and so far I've done pottery, knitting...
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Jacqui from Derby said:I've always enjoyed making things - I'm a bit of a 'Blue Peter' kid at heart. I started signing up for evening classes a couple of years ago at the local college and so far I've done pottery, knitting (remember that craze?), dress-making and floristry. At the moment, I'm working on silver jewellery. I find it really absorbing and there's nothing I like better than coming home and disappearing into my study for an hour to work on some pieces. The good thing about this course is that the bits are a bit quicker to do so I feel as though I can actually part with them. I'm hoping to give friends and family hand-made silver Christmas presents this year so at the moment, my 'to do' list is getting quite long!
Tony from Bristol said:When a friend came to stay recently I was ashamed to say I didn't know half the tourist attractions in my own town. So this year instead of jetting off on a stinky, polluting, expensive flight, we're ...
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Tony from Bristol said:When a friend came to stay recently I was ashamed to say I didn't know half the tourist attractions in my own town. So this year instead of jetting off on a stinky, polluting, expensive flight, we're going to be tourists at home instead. Local castles, museums, bike rides and boat trips on the river, and we'll have plenty of pocket money for ice creams, too!
